Agra - Taj Mahal

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An Interesting Indian Palace Friendly Hotel Staff Our First Meal at a Restaurant Indian Guards; they were definitely present in public places, displaying automatic weapons Archway leading to the Taj Mahal Further through the archway Alas, picture time! Could this be trick photography?! Natalie,learned how to hold up the Taj with her fingertip! An interesting point about the Taj is its symmetry; it has the same number of spires as it took to build in years, something like 21 (or so!). Also, there are the same number of surrounding pools of water and gardens. Of course, the well known fact about the Taj is its material; it is made entirely of white marble. Its builder, the king of the time, intended to build an exact replica in black marble and place it on the other side of the river, the Yamana River. His plans were curtailed when his 'crazy' son jailed him for the last 10 (or so!) years of his life. This is a Muslim Mosque adjacent to the Taj, which Muslims use to this day to worship and practice their religion. We were told that the optimum time for viewing the Taj is during a full moon and clear night, as marble is translucent and the Taj will become blue-ish. The walls are decorated with precious stone inlays. They are also designed with intricately with patterns. This is looking across the river where the Black Taj would have been erected. Being that the builder was Muslim, muslim prayers are inscribed up and down the walls of the Taj. Modern builders on the Taj grounds After our Taj visit we were ushered by our guides to nearby shopping bazaars. At this on, they showed us the process of making hand-woven carpets. Here, they show us how they inlay the marble with the precious stones. This operation is located near the Taj, and our guide told us that the ancestors of the Taj builders are maintaining this practice which was used to inlay the Taj with precious stones. Except now, they simply sell them as nice pieces of art, collectibles, etc. Finshed Product